Time and tide wait for none
by ginnypotter1206
Summary: The war is over. And life goes on... My first fanfic so please review. Rated for safety mainly.
1. Chapter 1

Harry's brain was exhausted. Walking up the stairs to the Gryffindor tower safely hidden under his invisibility cloak he had only one thing in mind. A nice long sleep. Something he had not been able to do for a _long_ time. He dragged himself to the fat lady's portrait and removed his cloak.

"I'm sorry I have no idea about the password..."

"Oh nonsense. You defeated He-who-must-not-be-named my boy. I think I will let you in without a password."

 _Ah well...fantastic._

He looked around the common room. It was completely deserted save for one man. The man had a faraway look in his eyes. He looked older than Harry knew he was. _Losing a brother probably does that to you_. At Harry's entrance he made no move and Harry thought that maybe he hadn't heard him and made to move towards the staircase that led to the dormitories. But apparently he was wrong.

"Thank you Harry. What you did down there..."

"It was nothing. I just wish I had done something sooner. I wish I hadn't brought him here. To Hogwarts. So many people have died and all that is my fault isn't it?"

"No Harry. everyone took the risks not just for you but for what they all believed in. They took the risks knowing very well the consequences Harry and yes they took the risks for a better future Harry. For their loved ones, family, friends and the very spirit of the wizarding community. They participated in the war hoping that at the end of it all, someday after all this chaos, people will live peacefully without fear." But Charlie's words were falling on deaf ears apparently

"Fred, Remus ,Tonks and so many others I don't even know. They all died because of me didn't they. I am not a war hero like everyone's telling I am Charlie. I am a murderer. " He couldn't take it anymore. He was not a hero. He was a murderer. Why couldn't people see that.

"Ginny was right. You do have a weird way of thinking. Go sleep Potter. I'll Knock some sense into you later. Or better yet Ginny will."

"Ginny. Merlin where is she? Is she alright? Is..." Harry hadn't seen a faster transition from friendly to overprotective brother in his life.

"she mad? She sure is. She told me everything Harry, including the fact that you thought her heart was a quaffle and played chaser with it."

"She said that last part?" He asked before he could stop himself.

"No that was my conclusion from her tiny romance tale. Now go and sleep Potter. I want you a bit more less sleepy the time we have this talk". Charlie was positively fuming now and he did not want to know what a dragon tamer did when he got angry.

"But..."

"Bed. NOW"


	2. Chapter 2

A.N. This is the second chapter people. Sorry tI took so long. Will do faster next time. At least I will try to :) And please review. They mean everything to me...

 _There were dead bodies everywhere. People everywhere mourning and crying over their loss. Remus, Tonks, Fred, Colin and so many countless others he didn't know. He felt like a huge hand was crushing his heart and_ suffocating him. _Then he saw them. They were all together as they looked down upon one of their own. A lifeless corpse who had once been a great son, brother, friend, fighter and prankster. The Weasleys looked lost. George was sitting in a corner with haunted eyes. Bill and Charlie were standing next to their mother trying in vain to comfort her. Mr. Weasley was staring at Fred next to Percy who looked too scared to even breathe. And Ron had his head in his hands while Ginny was comforting him, tears streaming down her face. It all seemed too much for Harry to handle and so he tried to slip away unnoticed, but his feet wouldn't move. They just stood there, rooted to the spot, as he watched the family he considered his own in such deep sorrow, knowing he couldn't help._

 _That was when Ron noticed him. The fury in his best mate's red and puffy eyes made him take a step back._

 _"It is all your fault Harry. He fought for you, to save you, and this is what he gets. How could you do this Potter?"_

 _"I trusted you Harry. I loved you. And this is what you do to my family, to my brother?"_

 _"Wasn't my ear enough Harry? You had to take my twin too?"_

 _"Harry, Harry..."_

HARRY. Wake up mate. Harry please."

Harry woke up, sweating like he just had run a few miles, and saw Ron's face. He was smiling at him and somehow the smile wasn't his normal carefree smile that was a part of Ron. No, it was fake and seeing it painfully reminded Harry how much his best friend was going through at the moment. He was dressed in a fresh set of clothes and looked like he had showered, something Harry had yet to do. " Nightmare again?" It was more like a statement rather than a question though.

"Yeah. But it wasn't the usual Voldemort type."

"The usual guilt type then?" Again with the statements.

Desperately wanting to escape the 'you shouldn't feel guilty' talk he asked Ron the time. But apparently he was not fooled.

"It's midnight if you want to know and answer my question."

"It wasn't much of a question was it?"

"Harry..."

"How am I not supposed to feel guilty Ron. I was the reason this war happened right now at Hogwarts. I insisted that we come here, didn't I? And had I not come here Voldemort wouldn't have come here either. It is the same thing time and again Ron. People sacrificing their life for me. Started with mom then dad then Sirius and now all these people. Heck even Hedwig and Dobby died for me. How can I just sit here not feeling guilty when all those people laid down their lives for me. And , how can I look at her face again? She treated me like one of her own and now..."

"Bloody hell Harry. We don't think like that okay? We all love you Harry and if some crazy moron out there wants to kill you, we will try to kill him or die trying just like how you would do to us. That is how this whole thing works mate. And you know why? Beacause you are family. We are all one huge close loving crazy family. And everybody else out there who died in the battle died for loved ones, they died because they wanted their family to live safely without fear. And Fred too died for his family. It wasn't your fault whatsoever Harry. please understand that. "

Harry looked down to his bed. It seemed ok to accept Ron's thought, to believe it. But somehow he couldn't. _Not for now._

"I am going to have a shower Ron. You don't have to wait up. It's midnight after all. Go to sleep." He had no intention of sleeping for a while scared that the nightmares will return if he dares to sleep again. He reached his hand into Hermione's bag rummaging a clean set of clothes, all the while aware of Ron's eyes on him.

"Harry."

"Yeah"

"Everything will be alright."

 _Not for now though..._


End file.
